Looking Up


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My hiatus is over.  Frankly, things had gotten so bad for the Kings that there wasn't much left to say, except, "The Kings continue to play terribly."  Having grown tired of that, and already discussed the trade possibilities, there simply wasn't anything productive left to write about.  Oh how I wish some local sports talk radio hosts would come to this realization.

The good news, is that the Kings are competitive again.  In fact, they have played really well of late, going 6-3-1 in their last ten games.  Simply put, they are playing better in all facets of the game.  Granted two recent rotten games against the Knights and the Lightning appeared to be a stumbling block, but taken in context there just might even be a ray of light buried deep in those losses.

For starters, Tampa Bay is kicking the tar out of the rest of the NHL as well, so I guess we are in a similar boat to everyone else.  And while getting out shot 48 to 17 is treasonously criminal, Soupy looked like the second coming stopping 46 of 47 shots that he faced, and not giving up a goal until the third period.  Despite the abysmal stat line, the Kings had a shot to win this game the whole way.  Soup is more than just good food...He's a darn good net minder.

The good news for fans, is that Kopi, Doughty, and Quick appear to like living in Manhattan Beach, and aren't in any hurry to leave town in search of another cup.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the future as the boys in the front office attempt to put together a contender.

Sadly, there is still room for improvement.  Kopi, while still being one of the top players in the league, isn't as sharp as he has been in the past.  Errant passes and turnovers in bad places still occur too often when he has the puck.  His scoring touch still isn't where most fans would like it to be as well.  Of course he also is still creating with a fantastic pass here and there, as demonstrated by his give and go with Browny tonight, and when he does turn it over, it rarely is a clean takeaway that results in a quality offensive chance.  This is largely due to his strength and ability to negate the cost of his mistakes.

Carter and Toffoli are still languishing in scorers purgatory.  The short handed missed pass tonight to Carter exemplifies the frustration.  I really have to question their future with the team at this point.  Anyone want to buy a Toffoli Jersey?

The youngsters may still have more to offer.  Those playing with the Kings now, and those that played in the World Juniors are showing some promise.  Can they be the role players or surprise super stars this team needs to regain it's championship form?  This is definitely something to look at further.

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